This weeks Economist dedicates a full page article to the inelasticity of demand for the foods you eat as a child ... or, in non-economo speak, why if you like Marmite as a child you still want to eat it as an adult, and if you move to somewhere where Marmite is not readily available (down under, the US, Asia) you'll happily pay over the odds to buy it from ex-pat stores.
These nostalgic food tastes aren't just linked to brand loyalty ... a study in India has shown that migrants within the country will eat less food so that they can continue to buy the pricier regional specialities from their home town rather than the cheaper local options.
Fortunately for me I was brought up on a diet of healthy inexpensive simple meals with plenty of fruit and veg and very little in the way of processed foods. Consequently I always prefer simple meals with fresh ingredients over rich fancy cooking or processed foods and snacks.
If, however, you were brought up on a diet of coca cola and wagon wheels that's not so good.
Whilst you can't change your own food history, if you have kids it's worth paying some attention to what you're feeding them and the habits you're getting them into for the future.
If you think of your regular breakfast, lunch and dinner options are these healthy options that will keep them fit and healthy through life, or is it just what's easy or what they want to eat? Often parents give children sugary sweets and snacks as a way of cheering them up or rewarding them ... which can encourage a lifetime habit of turning to sugar for comfort whenever thinks aren't going well.
It's not to say that children should never have sweets or unhealthy treats .. it's just good to remember that the food you feed them now may be what they'll be eating long after they've flown the nest.
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